By Veer Belani 

“History is in the making,” says Dr. Ilan Safit, Humanities teacher at the Upper School. And it definitely seems to be the case. America, once a somewhat reliable superpower that held the world’s economy, has shattered its global reputation in recent months. Our country is now seen as a dangerous country with too much power, one to be constantly feared by our enemies and allies alike. This controversial topic has been a bait for many news channels, podcasts, and everyday life conversations, sparking multitudes of opinions and debates.  However, this is not the first time that our country has gone through tumultuous times. In fact, less than around eighty years ago, in the 1950’s and 1960’s, our country experienced similar sentiments of uproar and a demand for immediate change, though under very different circumstances. 

About a week ago, Willa Mae Brown, a civil rights activist from the 50’s and 60’s and author of My Selma came to speak at our school. She spoke about her life in Selma, Alabama during a time of brutal racism and how she and her peers fought for their rights as black Americans. Through simple, yet defiant acts, she along with thousands of other black Americans began to slowly remold the ideas of society. She spoke about her inspirational moment with Martin Luther King and how, from a very young age she had resolved to change the life of future African Americans. She believes that peaceful and respectful protests are the most efficient way to bring about change and that now, we, as students, should join to fight for what we believe and the injustices that are being committed in our country. 

Since the beginning of this year, over 10,000 protests have occurred in more than 1,600 locations, the most in a long time. These protests mostly consist of the younger generation who are pro-Palestine, and anti-administration and anti-ICE. And just last week, our school participated in a protest in Wall Street, braving the frosty cold. We all held up hand-made posters chanting in unison, our voices echoing across the huge square. 

Eighty years ago, we were fighting for the rights of African Americans; sitting anywhere that they liked in the bus, using the same public facilities, schools, theaters, etc. But now, it seems to be a lot grimmer. We are fighting for the very rights that lay the foundations for this country more than 250 years ago, for Liberty and Life. We are fighting for the very rights that we are granted as human beings.